Author Topic: abscess in subcutaneous fat (Read 5268 times)

detnol · « **on:** December 30, 2016, 03:36:36 pm »

Hello, Friends of mine just slaughtered a 10 month old lamb and they found many small abscesses in it's fat layer. I have no clue what it is.Can anybody tell me what this is?

detnol · « **Reply #1 on:** December 31, 2016, 03:46:52 pm »

nobody?

Fleecewife · « **Reply #2 on:** December 31, 2016, 03:51:35 pm »

Well, I was at first thinking CLA, but that by definition has cheesy stuff in the abscesses, and the fact they're in the fat doesn't fit, as far as I know.

I would suggest getting it sent off to a lab for definitive ID, rather than us just guessing.

I do know I wouldn't eat the meat, at least until there was a diagnosis.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #3 on:** December 31, 2016, 04:34:13 pm »

Over here we have to get our animals slaughtered at a registered abattoir, where such abcesses would be detected, diagnosed and result in condemnation of the affected meat or the whole carcase as appropriate. Therefore we would never see such things in our own animals. Sorry. Unless we get a meat inspector logging on, or one of our vet members knows!

Tim W · « **Reply #4 on:** December 31, 2016, 05:28:35 pm »

Could be a variety of reasons why it has happened--- my first guess would be poor sterile procedure for injections (vaccines etc) which can introduce bacterial infections )---strep ? )
This can lead to abscesses in a variety of places, often spinal or between joints but feasibly in the fat too?

I wouldn't risk eating it ----,maybe the dogs would like it

Diagnosis may be difficult ----don't know how fresh or in what state the sample has to be ?

CLA comes in a variety of forms as I understand it ---in the UK we get a less virulent form than that present in Australia , maybe elsewhere it shows slightly different symptoms?

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #5 on:** January 01, 2017, 10:34:10 am »

I wouldn't have thought "many" small abscesses would be likely to be down to poor injection technique - apart from two injections of Ovivac P Plus or similar most UK lambs wouldn't have had other injections at 10 months old.

I agree with Sally that a lamb exhibiting such symptoms would likely be condemned at the abattoir in the UK.

Tim W · « **Reply #6 on:** January 01, 2017, 12:02:58 pm »

Quote from: Marches Farmer on January 01, 2017, 10:34:10 am

I wouldn't have thought "many" small abscesses would be likely to be down to poor injection technique - apart from two injections of Ovivac P Plus or similar most UK lambs wouldn't have had other injections at 10 months old.

I did this

---aseptic needles caused multiple abscesses in lambs via strep infection

Hevxxx99 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 01, 2017, 03:36:20 pm »

Could it be the larval stage of some form of parasite maybe? They look very self-contained.

Have they inspected the muscle and internal organs? Are these things elsewhere at all?

detnol · « **Reply #8 on:** January 01, 2017, 05:17:51 pm »

Thanks for the answers! The Abscesses were only found in the fat layer not in any organs.
They will take pictures and an abscesses to their veterinary doctor to get an answer or get them tested, they wont eat the meat before they now what has caused this,
I will keep you posted.

shygirl · « **Reply #9 on:** January 01, 2017, 08:16:12 pm »

have they been bitten by a dog?

detnol · « **Reply #10 on:** January 02, 2017, 12:55:19 pm »

Happy to announce that the vet did recognize the 'disease' immediately.
The sheep have been bitten by a kind of warble fly. Happens often with deer, their vet is a hunter so he recognized the subcutaneous abscesses.
The meat is fine for consumption.
Thank you all for your support!